Death and Burial
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 400 objects related to death and burial in Glasgow which date from between 1641 and 2000. This collection contains coffin trimmings and handles, funeral costume, in memoriam cards, orders of service, mourning bands, memorial objects and certificates, hearses, badges and trinkets, photographs, receipts and burial documents. It further includes an urn and jewellery such as brooches, rings, a pendant and bracelet. There is also a 'mort' or dead bell from 1641 which would have been rung before funerals in Glasgow as well as a mort safe from Ramshorn Kirk. Many of these items have personal stories behind them such as the belongings of Margaret Hutchison which were packed away into a suitcase following her death on Hogmanay in 1925/26, aged only seven years old. These were kept by her mother and sister in memory of her short life. Some of the items, such as the Templeton disaster bible, commemorate tragic events. This particular item was issued to mark the collapse of the wall of Templeton's Carpet Factory, which killed 29 young women in November 1889. The collection also includes a horse drawn hearse and a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith hearse.
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